Now that college football season is over, Mike Lopresti takes a look at all the things you might have missed so far this men’s college hoops season.Dejounte Murray is now trade eligible after signing a four-year, $120 million extension this past offseason and the Atlanta Hawks are expected to begin escalating those conversations.
The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks have been a pair of teams linked with Murray, but his former team, the San Antonio Spurs, could also join the bidding.
“We’re still waiting to see exactly how his market shakes out, but one team that has a level of exploratory interest, I’m told, is his former team: the San Antonio Spurs,” said Shams Charania. “The Spurs, obviously, building around Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell, among their budding young talent. They have a stable of draft assets as well. They are going to take a very patient approach in their building approach. There’s not a real level of urgency of going out there immediately, but they are going to be patient.”
The Spurs traded Murray to the Hawks in June 2022 as they initiated their rebuild and had concerns about their ability to sign him long-term. San Antonio also has a clear need at point guard on their roster.
The Los Angeles Lakers have a somewhat disappointing record this season despite relative good health and play from LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Davis has played in 35 of 37 games, while James has played in 34.
Sources tell ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that “James’ patience has been tested” this season. But James is attempting to focus on maximizing his role.
The Lakers have one future first round pick available to them to trade at this point, which they could package along with the contracts of players such as D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura.
The Lakers made a massive mistake in trading for Russell Westbrook in 2021, which wasn’t rectified until the 2023 trade deadline. Sources tell ESPN that every member of the Lakers involved in the Westbrook trade, including James, will admit they misjudged that decision.
